Football Federation Australia "called for patience" with its A-League marketing strategy after "lacklustre" TV ratings and "stagnant attendances" raised concerns whether the competition "has reached its maximum appeal in its current format," according to Dominic Bossi of the THE AGE. The first three rounds of the A-League "have attracted an average audience of only 112,000 viewers on Network Ten's One," a 15% decrease from the average ratings from the opening three rounds of last season when televised on SBS 2. It has been an "uninspiring start to the partnership with a major free-to-air network and its subsidiary channel but there is no sign of panic just yet" within FFA. A-League Head Greg O'Rourke said, "I'm not concerned if we stay on the track that we're building at. I would be concerned if this is where we land." FFA "withheld much of its marketing budget for the A-League for the latter stages of the competition," rather than its launch, "in hopes of gradually attracting more followers, viewers and attendees" during the middle and latter stages of the season. O'Rourke: "We expect it will take another good six or seven weeks in building it with their branded products like The Project and The Back Page to cross-promote the game so people know where to find it. We will be landing at over 150,000 or 1.5 times the Fox basis" (THE AGE, 10/22).
